Kathmandu: A book by Indian-American
journalist Fareed Zakaria has sparked a row here, with a top
Maoists` leader accusing him of misrepresenting facts by
claiming that Buddha was born in India instead of Nepal.
Zakaria, editor of Newsweek and host of a weekly show
on international affairs for CNN, has been flayed by Dinanath
Sharma, the spokesperson of CPN-Maoist, for writing that the
founder of Buddhism was born in India.
The Maoist leader said Zakaria has hurt the sentiment
of Nepalese people by claiming in his book, `The Post American
World`, that Buddha was an Indian and Buddhism was born in
India.
The objectionable statement of the noted journalist is
a serious blow to the sentiment of Nepalese people, Sharma
wrote in the Kantipur newspaper.
A Parliament Committee of Nepal has also raised
objections to the statement in Parliament and the matter is
said to have reached President Ram Baran Yadav, as well as the
Foreign and Home ministries, the Maoist leader said.
"Are we ready to believe that Zakaria wrote this
without studying about the Buddha?" he wondered.
"But we are not ready to accept this," he said, adding
the writer certainly has in-depth knowledge about Buddha which
is evident from the detailed analysis of the subject in the
book.
Sharma, the Maoists lawmaker, said Indian school texts
also propagate this while there is an effort to build in
India?s border area a "false Lumbini" - the kingdom in
southern Nepal where the Buddha was born - in a bid to
perpetuate the myth.
In some schools children were taught that Buddha was
born in India, he pointed out.
"This is an expression of the Indian government?s
expansionist policy," as Zakaria is of Indian origin, Sharma
claimed in the Nepalese daily.
PTI
